The Behemoth
by LeopardKnight
Summary: (Chapter 5 is UP!) After nearly killing himself, Shenlong is found by a young, female, white lion zoanthrope. PG-13 for blood, gore.
1. Default Chapter

Bloody Roar: The Behemoth.  
  
Legal Mumbo Jumbo: I do not own Bloody Roar, it's characters, or Hudson soft. If I did,   
I'd be making the bloody games. All Fan character's included in this Fic are my   
property, if you steal them, I will flame you till you're smoking, or sick Bruno on you.  
  
Also, the ideas of 'Jang' (Long/Jane) and 'Keniko' (Kenji/Uriko) were started by   
Christi, who nagged me till I finally started writing this.  
  
Notes: A: Shenlong, in my opinion, is a white tiger. The gray fur would have been a   
good secondary color, but as a primary, it makes him a freak, so he will be referred to as   
being a white tiger.  
  
B: In this Fic there will be TALKING BEAST ZOANTHROPES. This will be   
explained in the story.  
  
Thank you for reading all this Preliminary garbage, now, onto the story…  
  
Prologue:  
  
The night was warm and cloudy over the Z. L. F. headquarters, an average, quiet   
summer night, when an explosion rocked the building. Flames erupted from a massive,   
gaping wound in the huge structure's side, and screams, roars, and other sounds of shock   
and pain came from the myriad Zoanthropes therein.  
  
Among those fleeing, were 11 individuals who were at the heart of the matter, most of   
which were fleeing from the main gates, while one went running from the rear entrance…  
  
A man in a green T-shirt, red shorts, sandals, and with a "Spike" of green hair atop his   
almost bald head.  
  
"Who the hell do they think they are? Doing that to me, ME! Ohh… man am I ever   
going to get them back for this…" he rambled to himself as he fled the burning building.  
  
* * * *  
  
Meanwhile, another individual, dressed in a maroon and green silk martial arts uniform,   
the clothing tattered and a gaping wound in his side, staggered out to the side of the   
building, and into the alleyways of the city.  
  
His wound had been self-inflicted, the result of finding out just who, and what he really   
was, a clone. A worthless life that had been grown in a tube, a toy of a madman, whose   
only ambition was to see to what extents he could twist a race of creatures called   
"Zoanthropes," which he was, thanks to the man he had been cloned from.  
  
He staggered down the alley, and was a few blocks distance from the Z. L. F. when the   
fire reached their armaments cache, and it detonated, sending chunks of the building   
flying.  
  
He twisted around, automatically shifting to his beast form in a reflex to defend himself,   
when a concrete chunk the size of a fist struck him in the head, and knocked him   
unconscious…  
  
* * * *  
  
A young woman with light blond hair, was nearby the Z. L. F. when the first explosion   
rocked the area.  
  
Her name was Charlotte, She was about 5' 5 inches tall, of slightly stronger build than   
most women, but one couldn't say she wasn't attractive. She had quite a feminine form,   
a semi-large chest, thin waist, and broad hips made her seem like she belonged more in a   
glamour school than in a war zone. However, she was a Zoanthrope, Panthera Leo   
Krugeri, a rare "White lion".  
  
When the second one went off, she ducked behind a solid metal trash dumpster, and   
small pebbles and other flying debris clattered on it, as well as a few larger chunks, some   
the size of her head.  
  
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "What's going on over there?" she said before peeking   
over the top of the dumpster.  
  
"Somebody must have blasted-" she stopped short as a loud "THOCK" and a low roar   
of pain came from somewhere nearby.  
  
As soon as the debris stopped flying, she dashed from her hiding place, and located the   
source of the roar. What she found was a white tiger Zoanthrope, transformed, who had   
had been hit in the head by a fair sized piece of charred concrete.  
  
"Oh no…" Charlotte breathed and kneeled at the fallen male's side, checking him over.  
  
"Breathing… pulse… all ok. But his head is- Oh!" she exclaimed when her hand felt a   
sticky wound on his right side, which was bleeding tremendously.  
  
"Oh hell…" she muttered, then looked around her for anyone who might have been   
watching, then when she saw that the coast was clear, she transformed to her beast form,   
a white lioness. Charlotte then carefully lifted the large male tiger over her shoulder, and   
carried him off, his tail dragging limply along on the ground.  
  
* * * *  
  
30 minutes later, half her body, and one whole leg stained crimson from the Tiger's   
blood, she used her free, right paw, she rapped sharply on the door of a second level   
apartment in an old, musty apartment building several times.  
  
When no one answered, she resorted to yelling.  
  
"SARAH! Get your furry red ass out here! It's an emergency!"  
  
Since Charlotte wasn't in the middle of a fight, and her mind wasn't taken completely   
by the battle bloodlust of a Zoanthrope, she could form coherent words. The facial   
muscles around her muzzle were more dexterous, and in greater numbers, plus modified   
vocal chords to allow them to speak, when calm.  
  
The door opened, and a sleepy eyed, transformed, female fox Zoanthrope, wearing a   
very oversized, loose T-shirt that said "World's best mom" and a pair of panties, looked   
back at her.  
  
"What on earth…" her eyes snapped open when she saw the wounded tiger, and the   
blood covered lioness. "Charlotte! What happened?"  
  
"It's his blood Sarah, not mine, don't worry 'bout me…" she growled as she gently   
deposited the White tiger on his back on a medical bench. "But this guy's in REALLY   
bad shape." She said and stepped back, and started to change back to human form, when   
the Vixen grabbed the already shrinking muzzle of the Lioness.  
  
"What have I told you about being human in my home girl? I will NOT have it!"  
  
Sheepishly, Charlotte went back to full beast. "You're really weird, you know that   
Sarah?"  
  
The vixen rolled her eyes. "Be quiet and help me with this tiger before he dies of blood   
loss."  
  
Nodding, Charlotte went and grabbed Sarah's large medical kit, which held almost   
everything one needed in an Emergency room.  
  
Sarah examined the wound in his side, then the head wound, which, amazingly, was   
nothing more than a bruise under the fur.  
  
"Be glad he's in beast form, otherwise he'd be dead by now. The wound in his side is   
already trying to close up, good thing it's not deeper than the muscle… Get a large metal   
bowl from those cabinets…" Sarah gestured to a slightly higher wall cabinet. "Fill it with   
water and some disinfectant. I need to wash my paws."  
  
Charlotte did as told while Sarah changed into a tighter shirt, so it wouldn't get in the   
wound while she was working, washed her paws thoroughly, and came back to her   
patient. She put a type of rubber glove on that her claws wouldn't puncture, and got to   
work cleaning the dried blood off the wound with the disinfectant mixture that Charlotte   
had prepped.  
  
"Nasty…" she said as the edges of the ragged, ripped flesh came into view. "Whoever   
did this must've either used a REALLY rusty knife, or had some Deadly claws."  
  
"Will he be alright Sarah?" Charlotte asked.  
  
The vixen continued cleaning the tiger's wound. "He will be fine, maybe even have   
little or no permanent damage if I can clean this and stitch it up properly, now be quiet, I   
have work to do."  
  
Charlotte went silent and sat down on a couch, watching Sarah clean the wound   
thoroughly, then shave the fur around it so it wouldn't get in the way of her stitching,   
which she started.  
  
By that time, it was in the early morning hours, and Charlotte was completely   
exhausted, so she simply laid down on the couch, and fell asleep.  



	2. Waking

Bloody Roar: The Behemoth.  
  
Legal Mumbo Jumbo: I do not own Bloody Roar, it's characters, or Hudson soft. If I   
did, I'd be making the bloody games. All Fan character's included in this Fic are my   
property, if you steal them, I will flame you till you're smoking, or sick Bruno on you.  
  
Also, the ideas of 'Jang' (Long/Jane) and 'Keniko' (Kenji/Uriko) were started by   
Christi, who nagged me till I finally started writing this.  
  
Chapter 1: Waking.  
  
At 8:00 the next morning, Sarah roused Charlotte from sleep.  
  
"Wake up Charlotte, your fur's matted with dried blood. You need to take a shower,   
then change the sheets on the couch for our guest there."   
  
Charlotte pushed the smaller Vixen away, and yawned loudly, with the sound of small   
roar in it. "God, Sarah, you're a slave driver…" she sat up and stretched her back out.  
  
"Funny, my kids don't seem to think so…" Sarah said sarcastically as she went into the   
small kitchen to fix their breakfast.  
  
Charlotte rubbed her eyes and stood, and stretched again, her right leg seeming very   
stiff, till the dried blood loosened up. "Yeah, yeah, whatever…"  
  
"I am paying half your rent in here, remember Charlotte?" Sarah called while she went   
fishing through her refrigerator. "Hey! Where are all the eggs? Didn't you go shopping   
last night like I asked?"  
  
Charlotte's eyes shot open. "Oh, damn it… I was coming back near where that blast hit   
last night, I think I dropped the bags in an alley."  
  
"Blast?" Sarah poked her head over the edge of the open door at her.  
  
"You didn't hear it? It's the reason I brought him in." the lioness said, pointing to the   
Tiger, who was still sleeping on the medical bed, a blanket draped over him. "He is   
alright, isn't he?"  
  
"Must've been asleep." Sarah mumbled. "And yes, he's still alive, he'll probably wake   
up around noon or so, I'm not sure. Take a shower, I'll see it on the news…" she said,   
turning on the tiny TV set in the kitchen, the only one in the apartment.  
  
Charlotte went into the shower, while Sarah - robbed of having her Omelets that   
morning - got out some frozen French toast and orange juice, and heated them up while   
she watched the morning news.  
  
"-and now, in our top story this morning, Military officials announced the capture of the   
Z. L. F. rebel Zoanthrope force after a series of explosions destroyed their headquarters.   
With more, is Hank Fielding."  
  
The image shifted to a still smoking ruin of a massive building, only a little more than   
two-dozen blocks from Sarah's apartment. Before it was a human man, wearing a trench   
coat and holding a microphone. To his left was another human wearing a suit of urban   
camouflage gear.  
  
"What you see behind me is the Z. L .F. headquarters, or, what's left of it. At around   
1:00 last night, a series of blasts ripped through the building, leveling it, and scattering   
the Zoanthropes inside. Corporal Jeffrey Smith, was this a strike on your part?"  
  
"Actually no, we were holding our former line almost 75 blocks away, we didn't even   
realize this was their headquarters until the explosions hit."  
  
"What happened then?"  
  
"Well, the Z. L. F. forces that had been holding us scattered, and were captured. By the   
time we got here, a second blast had leveled the rest of the building, and most of the rest   
of the rebel Zoanthropes surrendered without a fight."  
  
"Did you interrogate them?" The human reporter prompted the corporal.  
  
"Yes, but they seemed too lethargic to even think, we didn't get much information out   
of them."  
  
"What about the Z. L. F. leader?"  
  
"We weren't even able to identify him, if he was even among those we caught. But   
we're still interrogating all those we're holding for the moment."  
  
Sarah shut off the TV and shuddered. "Great, human soldiers running all over the   
place… they even try to lay a hand on my kids I'll…" she broke off, growling.  
  
* * * *  
  
Three hours later…  
  
* * * *  
  
Pain… an aching, dull throb of pain in his head and his side, was all he felt. His eyes   
were dry, and felt glued shut on the inside. Oddly enough, he felt larger than usual, and   
warmer…  
  
"Wait, beast… right…" he thought, his mind foggy and unclear with the pain,   
exhaustion and dehydration.  
  
He tried to move, but a stab of pain from his stomach gripped him, and forced him back   
down. A moaning growl escaped his feline lips, and a moment later, someone was laying   
a large, rough hand was on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, you awake?" somebody asked. The voice was a little like a growl, but still   
human enough to sound feminine.  
  
He forced his eyes open, but the air and light hurt, and he snapped them shut again.  
  
"W… water…" he growled hoarsely.  
  
The hand was gone for a moment, then back, and the rim of a small bowl was pressed   
against his mouth.  
  
"Here, drink." The voice spoke again.  
  
Painfully, he leaned his head forward, and began to lap up the cool fluid.  
  
As he finished the drink, his eyes began to water. He blinked the salty tears out of his   
eyes, and his vision cleared. He looked up into the muzzle of a transformed, white lion   
Zoanthrope girl.  
  
He started in shock, but she held him down.  
  
"Whoah! Hey, it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. We just have to stay like this here."  
  
"W-what?" he said, confused. "Why?"  
  
"You need to say like this to heal, I have to stay like this because of my friend, it's   
alright. Just don't try to talk too much right now."  
  
He stared at the female's face. For a beast, she didn't look all that bad, like some could.   
Her leonine features were average for the species, but the color of her fur was   
extraordinary, she looked almost like an angel, a Zoanthrope one, but still.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
  
The lioness smiled a little. "My name's Charlotte, what's your name?"  
  
He looked down, and a look of utter confusion crossed his face.  
  
"I… I don't know…"  
  
She looked down at him, worried. "You can't remember your name? Can you   
remember anything?"  
  
He shook his head slowly.  
  
"Nothing at all?" she urged.  
  
Again he shook his head.  
  
She sighed, sadly. "We'll just call you John then, till you remember your name. You   
did get hit in the head pretty hard, it's not surprising you have amnesia."  
  
"What… am I going to do?" John (he guessed that was his name) asked, looking up at   
her with a pair of crystal blue eyes.  
  
She smiled a bit. "You'll live with me for a while."  
  
"Where?" he asked.  
  
"My apartment here, it's not much, but there's room for you in it." she stood. "Are you   
hungry?"  
  
John closed his eyes and laid his head back against the pillow. "I'm Tired…" he   
murmured as he drifted off to sleep.  



	3. Meeting the locals

Bloody Roar: The Behemoth.  
  
Legal Mumbo Jumbo: I do not own Bloody Roar, it's characters, or Hudson soft. If I   
did, I'd be making the bloody games. All Fan character's included in this Fic are my   
property, if you steal them, I will flame you till you're smoking, or sick Bruno on you.  
  
  
Chapter 2: Getting to know the locals.  
  
  
John spent about a week and a half recovering in beast form, rather than two months, as   
a human would have had to do, considering his wound.  
  
After the first two days, he'd been well enough to walk around, and had then moved   
from Sarah's apartment, and the noise of her two kids, Ashley and Jared, to Charlotte's   
slightly smaller, but much quieter living space, which he was quite thankful for.  
  
Charlotte was a rather attractive girl, even as a human, even so she sometimes did   
lounge around as a lioness. Usually spending time talking to him, making him feel at   
home, and trying to help him to remember about his past, although they'd made almost   
no progress as of yet, save for that he was a skilled fighter, as his karate gi had told in the   
first place. A tan colored tee shirt, the image long since worn off, a pair of faded jeans,   
and a pair of sneakers had replaced the gi itself. And for some reason, John didn't quite   
think the outfit suited him, but there wasn't anything else, and his gi had been destroyed   
anyway.  
  
As long as John was resting and letting his wound heal, he didn't go out of the   
apartment, or meet anyone else from the building, but the very day he was well…  
  
* * * *  
  
John, feeling quite energetic, and the pain in his side diminished to nearly nothing,   
chose to sneak out of the apartment, and explore, while she was out shopping for food.  
  
He left the apartment at about 2 in the afternoon, and headed to the main floor, where he   
proceeded to the main entrance to leave for about an hour or two.  
  
Once he got out the door, however, he got knocked backwards back into the building by   
a large shape.  
  
"OW! Hey! Watch where you're going!" John said, standing up and brushing himself   
off.  
  
He looked up and saw himself facing a very large, very dark skinned man standing   
there, carrying in a couch, single handed, and very easily.  
  
"Well I'm sorry, but this thing isn't very easy to see over. Who are you anyway?"  
  
"I, uh…" John faltered. The guy was HUGE. His arms were so heavily muscled that   
his hands couldn't span them, his legs were about twice the size of the guy's arms, and   
his torso looked like it was about to burst out from his black tank top and his red shorts.   
He had a small beard, which did nothing to cover his neck, which seemed swollen with   
muscle. His head was the only thing on him that didn't seem to be bristling with flesh.   
He had black hair, slicked back and then tied into a long braided ponytail which hung   
down to his mid back, both ends tied off with a shiny metal ring.  
  
"What's the matter pal? Cat got your tongue?"  
  
"Bruno!" Charlotte's indignant voice came from behind John. "What are you doing?   
Scaring people again? Good god, sometimes I think you enjoy doing that."  
  
The dark skinned muscle man looked over John at Charlotte. "What? Oh, him? Oh,   
sorry man, I forget that I can be rather impressive at times. Anyway, my name's Bruno.   
What's yours?" he said, putting the couch down and offering a hand to him.  
  
John took Bruno's hand and shook it a little, still dumbfounded. "Uh… My name's   
John, I guess."  
  
"You guess? What, I can't be that scary!"  
  
Charlotte put her hand on Bruno's shoulder, grabbing his attention, then whispered into   
his ear. "He's got amnesia, he can't remember a thing, go easy on him Bruno, please?"  
  
The dark skinned man's eyes went wide. "Oh! Oh, ok. Sorry man, look, sorry bout   
knocking you over, really, you ever need a hand with anything heavy though, give me a   
call, k?"  
  
"Uh, sure, I'll remember that." John said, as charlotte took his hand and led him back to   
her apartment.  
  
* * * *  
  
Once they were back in her room, and the door was shut, John sank boneless into the   
nearest chair.  
  
"Good god, I've never seen ANYTHING that strong in my entire life!" He said, then   
jerked his head up. He'd remembered something.  
  
"You remembered something?" Charlotte asked, urging him a little.  
  
"Vaguely, I've seen someone nearly that big, but not like THAT! Be dammed if I can   
remember anything else. I can't even remember the other guy's face! Where is that guy,   
Bruno, from anyway?"  
  
Charlotte went into the kitchen, starting a small dinner for the two of them, as they had   
found that john definitely did not know how to cook, though Charlotte had swore that   
she'd teach him. "He's African in origin, but that's his distant ancestry. He's a great   
guy, if you can get to know him a bit. He's smart, nice, but a loner, never let's anyone   
really close to him. And though we all know he's a Zoanthrope, he never once has used   
it. He says it's too big. I don't know about that, but if his human form's anything to go   
by, he might be telling the truth."  
  
"I think I'll have to watch my step around here a bit more. What other people live in the   
building?" John asked.  
  
She took out a chicken, potatoes, and a bag of carrots, and some other things, and got   
started with a stew, one of her favorites, and also John's new one.  
  
"Well, you've met Bruno, Sarah, and her kids… so that leaves Ben, the bear, he lives on   
the ground floor, right next to the entrance, he's a good guy. Vivian, a coyote, brightest   
yellow fur you've ever seen, white underbelly, she lives next door with her boyfriend,   
Barry, he's a Mexican wolf. You woke up that first night here when they…" she made a   
gesture with her hands which needed no verbal interpretation.  
  
"I was wondering what all that howling, yipping and banging was about that night."  
  
"More than that, she's 7 month pregnant and they're still going, I can't understand   
where she gets all that energy."  
  
"Does she go around in beast much?"  
  
"You mean besides that? Yeah, Sarah rubbed off on those two a lot. Anyway, where   
was I? Oh, yeah. There's Vincent, a Jaguar. Great guy, also, he's the only person in the   
building with a car, truck actually, but, if you have to get somewhere in a hurry, you go to   
him. And that's about everyone."  
  
John nodded. "Colorful group here, isn't it?"  
  
Charlotte smiled. "Yeah, I think you'll like it here John, it's really a nice place to live,   
once you get over the quirks. Now come on, help me over here, I'll show you how to   
make this stew…"  



	4. Dreams...

The Behemoth  
  
Chapter 3: Dreams…  
  
  
That night, long after the entire building's residents had gone to bed, john fitfully   
tossed and turned in his bed, sleep fleeing his grasp.  
  
Who was the man he had nearly remembered? Was he an old friend, or something   
else? The thought kept him awake long into the night, up till around midnight, till   
exhaustion finally claimed him and he began to slumber.  
  
* * * *  
  
In his sleep, though, he found himself dreaming almost instantly.  
  
He was in a black place, he himself was in good light, where it originated, he had   
no idea, but around him, was dark, blackness like a total void.  
  
Then, a light buzzing in his ear started. Not like a fly, but more a ringing, he   
turned to that direction, and a wash of myriad colors stained the blackness like   
nebulae against a starless universe.  
  
Now, there seemed to be faint voices, far away, and quiet. He strained to hear   
them, but there was nothing more to hear.  
  
The voices seemed to be coming from a white dot of light at the center of a nexus   
of color, and, running on nothing at all, he tried to approach the faint sound.  
  
"Let's see…" A high, grating, yet still faint voice became recognizable, and it   
echoed. "What shall I do next… How about making clones…"  
  
"What?" He thought. "Clones? What's this mean?"  
  
A slight chuckle from the same voice again. And some of the color half materialized   
into a very faint, fuzzy humanoid form. It was barely recognizable against the fluxing   
backdrop, but it seemed to hover, and for all of his running, john didn't get the least   
bit closer.  
  
"You don't like that, your majesty? I suppose you wouldn't…" the image prattled.  
  
"Wouldn't what?" he whispered, and started taking bounds in his spectral sprint.  
  
"You're nothing but a puppet that I created…" the voice droned on.  
  
"Puppet?" john said, grating to a halt. "What puppet? Who is he talking about?"  
  
Another ringing in his ear sounded, this time louder, and more urgent. He turned   
sharply and ran off towards the sound.  
  
"Do you have a past?" A new voice, deeper, and commanding.  
  
"Past?" he stopped. "I…"  
  
"Whatever memories you may have…" the voice continued, and a new form   
emerged, still half formed from the mists, large, strong looking, like the half formed   
image in his mind after he'd seen Bruno that morning.  
  
"-are nothing but false memories created and planted…"  
  
"What…? False? Planted? What do you…" He asked, confused.  
  
"I even know the person… the "original you"…"  
  
"The 'Original me'?" What do you mean? Who are you?"  
  
The form faded again, leaving Him just as confused as before. Standing there, he   
didn't sense anything else, until a series of loud footfalls, slow, and steady, sounded   
behind him.  
  
He whirled around as if in slow motion, and stared at the apparition there.  
  
A man… he was running at him… from far away, but every feature on him was   
clear as if they were face to face. He was running as if in slow motion, towards   
him…  
  
The man had his face!  
  
Standing there, rooted to the spot, he wanted to look away, but could not move a   
muscle.  
  
On the man's face was a look of dire determination, his mouth a tight line and his   
eyes flashing a cool fire, but then it started to change…  
  
It slowly changed into a tiger… bright orange and clear black stripes, and a pale,   
creamy white chest, it's eyes a deep green…  
  
Then, it leapt upon him, mouth opening in a snarl, ready to bite and kill…  
  
* * * *  
  
He screamed as he awoke, sheer terror, within moments, she was there, comforting him,   
holding him, trying to reassure him, but words could not calm him.  
  
"John! John, it's me, Charlotte! John, you were having a nightmare… John!"  
  
He fought her embrace, trying to get free, away from the tiger, so like himself, who   
seemed bent on destroying him…  
  
Frantic to get him to calm down, Charlotte's mind raced, but nothing came to her, so she   
did the one thing that might shock him into stillness…  
  
She planted her mouth clear across his and kissed him.  
  
He froze… the image of the tiger vanishing like a puff of smoke in a gale.  
  
A moment passed, and she broke the kiss. He stared into her eyes, forest green, silent,   
mouth agape, then, after a few silent moments, he began to cry.  
  
He embraced her and began to sob into her shoulder  
  
"John, what's wrong?"  
  
"I…" he choked out. "I saw… something… from my past… it wanted to kill me, but,   
it had my own face!"  
  
Her own eyes going wide, charlotte held him. "But… you wouldn't want to hurt   
yourself, would you?"  
  
"I don't… Know." He said. "I'm so confused." He paused, something really hitting   
him.  
  
"But… why…"  
  
"Yes john?" She asked.  
  
"Why… why did you… kiss me?" he looked up at her.  
  
She blushed heavily. "Oh… I'm sorry John, it was the only thing I could think of to   
stop you from thrashing around like that… I'm sorry, you probably don't like me like   
that, I've admired you myself, but I don't expect you to-"  
  
"I enjoyed it."  
  
She stared at him, and he at her, both staring into the other's eyes. His blue, hers green.  
  
Though there was no more than a few inches of space between them, they almost lunged   
for each other.  
  
* * * *  
  
15 minutes later, in Sarah's room, the vixen mother found herself being roused by her   
children, Jared and Ashley.  
  
"Mama, there's something going on upstairs!"  
  
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the vixen looked at the clock by her bed.  
  
"It's 1:00 in the morning, what is it?"  
  
"There's noises coming from Miss charlotte's place, I think, what's goin on?"  
  
Sarah strained her ears for a moment, and heard it, a series of bumps against the wall   
and floor from the level above them, and the sound of two faint roars.  
  
"What the…!" she said, just as the realization of what was happening hit her.  
  
She laughed to herself. "HAH! Damn, I've heard of doctor/patient relationships before,   
but this short a time?" Sarah thought and shook her head. "Be damned if I know what's   
going on in that girl's head. I just thought she'd wait a bit longer…"  
  
"What's going on up there mama?" Ashley said, tugging on her mother's nightshirt.  
  
"Charlotte and her boyfriend are wrestling."  
  
"Wrestling?" both kids asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, now go back to bed, nothing for you to worry about. Now go back to bed, shoo!"   
she said, giving them a gentle push toward the door.  
  
"Yes mama." they said in unison. But once they were five feet from the door, they   
stopped and looked at each other.  
  
"Wrestling?" Ashley said to her brother, Jared.  
  
He shrugged. "How should I know?"  



	5. Mirrors...

The Behemoth  
  
Chapter: 4, Mirrors…  
  
Two days later, and not a word to anyone about their night together, charlotte took John   
out to the nearest shopping mall for clothing, as the borrowed clothes were not fitting too   
well.  
  
"Honestly, you look like you're wearing kid clothes in those things john. You need   
something your size to wear." And that was the end of that argument.  
  
So John got dragged by the tail to the nearest shopping mall.  
  
* * * *  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of town.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Come on Jane, you need a new set of clothes, that camo pants/tank top combo is NOT   
working on you anymore."  
  
"Jenny, for the last time, I'm FINE with what I'm wearing! The last thing I want is to   
look like YOU!" the leopard Zoanthrope retorted.  
  
"What on earth is going on out here?" Alan's booming voice resounded from his   
personal gym.  
  
"Oh, nothing honey, just persuading your daughter to go shopping with me."  
  
"I DON'T NEED NEW CLOTHES!"  
  
"And from what your father's been telling me you've been telling him that for about 5   
years now. I think it's time for a few new things, hm?"  
  
Jane glared at her father. "You put her up to this didn't you?"  
  
Alan faked looking appalled. "Now why would you accuse me of that?"  
  
Jane rolled her eyes. "God, I never seem to be able to do the right thing around here.   
Fine, fine, I'll go like for some fresh clothes. But you try to get me to even try on as   
much as one damn dress I'll…"  
  
"Whoa, hold on there Jane, no need to get defensive on me. You do need some kind of   
decent outfit to wear to a party or something, don't you?"  
  
With a growl not unlike her beast form's, Jane nodded.  
  
"Good, now then, I think-"  
  
"But I am not going with YOU telling me what looks good on me!" Jane snapped.  
  
"And just who did you have in mind?" jenny asked.  
  
"I'll call Long." Alan spoke before Jane could say anything.  
  
"But I never said anything about…" His daughter said, flustered.  
  
"You didn't have to dear." Jenny said, taking her car keys off the hook by the door.   
"Now please, we don't want to keep Mr. Shin waiting, do we?"  
  
* * * *  
  
Long was in his back yard, practicing various techniques in a sand pit when the phone   
rang.  
  
Stopping to towel the sweat off his face and hands, he picked up the cordless near the   
door.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Long?" came Alan's rough voice.  
  
"Alan! Good to hear from you sir… unless…?"  
  
"No need to worry, nothing's happening that need's you to intervene, I just called to let   
you know that my daughter and my wife are coming by to pick you up, Jenny's going   
shopping and Jane need's some new clothes."  
  
"Only, Jane wouldn't go with out you using me as a lever, right?" Long asked.  
  
"How'd you guess?" came Alan's sarcastic reply.  
  
Long sighed. "When can I expect them?" he asked.  
  
"They should be there any minute now, they already left."  
  
"Right, thanks Alan." Long said, and hung up. "Typical."  
  
* * * *  
  
"Hmmm… this looks nice… Here John, try this one on." Charlotte placed a folded pair   
of khaki pants on top of a pile he was already carrying.  
  
"Right… anything else?" He said, straining under the large load.  
  
"Not at the moment, no." She gave him a tiny push towards the changing rooms. "Go   
on silly, you can't change here!"  
  
"Right…"  
  
* * * *  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mall.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Oh, this would look great on you Jane!" Jenny exclaimed, taking a black, sleeveless   
dress down off its hanger.  
  
"I said no frills…" Jane protested.  
  
"And it's not. Look, there's nothing fancy, it's just a simple dress. You do need   
SOMETHING to wear on special occasions, don't you?"   
  
Jane looked at Long.  
  
"Uh… well, it doesn't look that garish Jane… you might look good in it… I think." He   
said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.  
  
Jane sighed, disgusted. "Fine, I'll try it." she muttered, and snatched the dress out of the   
bat Zoanthrope's hand.  
  
After she'd gone into the changing room, Long and Jenny waited for about 10 minutes   
outside before…  
  
"Jane? Jane, is everything ok in there?"  
  
"… I look stupid." Was the curt reply.  
  
"Come now Jane, it can't be that bad! Please, let's see you in it.  
  
"Ok, if it'll get you off my back fine!"  
  
Long's jaw dropped when she came out.  
  
"I knew it, it's horrible." Jane said, turning to go back into the booth.  
  
"NO!" Long yelled, stunning both Jenny and Jane. "Er… it… looks good on you…   
Jane." He said, embarrassed.  
  
Jane raised an eyebrow. "On second thought… I'll take this."  
  
"Good, in that case I'd like to show you…" Jenny started.  
  
"MOM!"  
  
* * * *  
  
After shopping for about 3 hours, Charlotte decided they'd done enough.  
  
"Well, I think that's enough clothing for you John. How about we go and get something   
to eat hmm?"  
  
John's stomach growled. "I'm way ahead of you." He said, and picked up the bags   
they'd been collecting.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Ok, I believe that's enough new clothes for all of us, now why don't we get headed   
back…" Jenny said looking at her watch, then realized they'd missed lunch. "Whoa!   
Lunch was an hour ago! What do you guys say we get something to eat here?"  
  
"Sure. Why not?" Jane said sarcastically, her own complaints having gone unheeded for   
about the last hour. "Coming Long?"  
  
The Tiger Zoanthrope, packages and clothing piled up several feet in his arms,   
completely destroyed his visibility, staggered after them.   
  
"Just point me in the right direction… please…"  
  
* * * *  
  
"Hey, John?" Charlotte said to her companion as they made their way to the food court.  
  
"Yeah?" the white tiger Zoanthrope replied as they walked.  
  
"Does… walking around the mall bring back any memories?" she asked.  
  
"Not really. All seems new to me- OOF!"  
  
A pile of clothing and packages fell onto John as he accidentally collided with someone,   
and was buried under the cloth completely.  
  
Throwing off the clothing, he came up yelling at the person he'd collided with. "HEY!   
Watch where you're…"  
  
John found himself looking at his own face.  
  
"Shenlong…?"  



	6. Run, run away...

The Behemoth  
  
Chapter 5: Run, run away...  
  
* * * *  
  
Panic. His mind was frozen in sheer panic. Here, facing him, not two feet away, was   
the spectre of his dreams. And John, or Shenlong, as he had just been called, was frozen   
in fear.  
  
Someone touched his shoulder, charlotte, and he was snapped from his trance, where a   
pounding headache ripped through him. However, throwing this aside, he leapt to his   
feet, gave his 'double' a kick to the chest, grabbed charlotte and ran for dear life.  
  
As the two women who were with the other man were delayed, helping him, Shenlong   
raced from the mall, and into the streets of the city on foot.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Long, are you alright?" Jane asked, helping him to his feet.  
  
Shaking his head, Long stood, holding his chest. "Nothing a massage won't take care   
of. Where'd he go?" he asked.  
  
"He ran off down the corridor, lost sight of him as he rounded a corner. He's gone   
now." Jenny answered, pulling her cell-phone out of her purse. "Should I call Alan and   
tell him to-"  
  
"No… we have a better way to track him anyway. If he was alone back there I wouldn't   
bother with him, but it seems he has a hostage, you saw him grab that girl back there,   
didn't you?" Long asked, looking at Jane.  
  
"Well, yeah, I didn't hear her scream though… odd…" she replied.  
  
"Want me to call Yugo's house?"  
  
"Yeah, get Kenji on the phone if you can. And I just want him found, not killed." Was   
Long's reply.  
  
"No worries there, kenji changed after the whole ZLF episode…"  
  
* * * *  
  
Almost 2 and a half miles away, Shenlong and Charlotte stopped running in an alley,   
where Shenlong fell on his knee's, trying to catch his breath.  
  
"What in god's name happened back there John?"  
  
"Shenlong…" he said between breaths.  
  
"What…?" was her startled reply.  
  
"My name… is… Shenlong…"  
  
Her eyes opened wider. "That man back there said that… and he…"  
  
"Looked like me… Yes…"  
  
They were silent for a minute before she tried to get closer. As she was about to put her   
hand on his shoulder, he spoke.  
  
"Call Vinny." He said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's a payphone on the sidewalk, call him and have him pick us up, I'm not   
walking all the way back to the other side of town… not when they might be looking for   
me…" He suddenly clutched his head, his suppressed headache catching up to him.  
  
"Sh… Shenlong…?"  
  
"DO IT!" he barked at her.  
  
Dashing back to the street, she saw the payphone, pulled out a coin, and dialed the   
apartment.  
  
"Come on… come on… pick up…" she whispered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Vinny!"  
  
"Hey, charlotte, what's goin on?"  
  
"I need you to come pick me up Vinny, and fast, this is an emergency!"  
  
"Ok, ok, slow down girl, where are you?"  
  
She proceeded to tell him, then returned to the alley, where shenlong was sitting next to   
the wall, holding his head.  
  
"Shenlong…?"  
  
"Stay away Charlotte… please… I don't…" a silent tear ran down his face. "I'm so   
confused… what happened to me? Why is that guy trying to kill me? What's going on…"  
  
Lost for words, charlotte stood there, watching him until she heard a car horn.   
  
"That's Vinny… come on, let's go home, you'll be safe there."  
  
He stood slowly, and followed her to the waiting vehicle, then lost consciousness as he   
was about to sit down… 


End file.
